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August 11, 2014

Q:My 13-year-old son began playing Call of Duty at home beginning in January of this year. We monitor his gaming and have him turn it off after a certain amount of time. He is now asking to "stream" with one of his favorite online players who does this on YouTube regularly. I am concerned with him participating in a real-time game visible over the internet (which includes running commentary from the players), but truthfully don't fully understand what negative consequences might occur in doing this if he does not disclose name, address, etc. What is your take on this?

~Sensitive about streaming, Huntington Beach, CA

A: Dear Sensitive,

Live streaming video games allows gamers to broadcast themselves (via audio or video) and their gameplay to a public audience, and also allows them to interact with their audience via a chat interface. To understand the impact that live streaming may have, let’s first discuss the potential effects of the content of the game in general.

Any interactive media, particularly games, create an environment complete with a set of rules by which users must behave. Just like in our own culture, virtual environments reward certain behaviors and punish others. The more a user practices behaviors that are rewarded (in what psychologists call ‘behavioral scripts’), the more successful they will be in the virtual environment. Therefore, if your child is playing a sports game, puzzle game, or war game, he will be learning the skills required for mastery in each of those categories.

There is evidence that exposure to any media violence, such as playing or watching others play Call of Duty, desensitizes children (as well as teens and adults) to that violence. There is also research showing that for many, especially younger kids, exposure to violent media can increase a child’s view of the world as a mean and dangerous place and can increase their own aggressive thoughts and behaviors.

When kids play Call of Duty against others online, these effects move into an interactive space: Playing with others can provide an opportunity for collaborative problem solving, story creation, and social connection. However, there is also an opportunity for increased aggression: Players are no longer trying to survive by killing avatars generated by the game, but instead by killing avatars of other players (whom they may or may not know) in the most skillful ways possible. With streaming and the ability to communicate with others through running text commentary or through headphones, there is an added risk of mob mentality, where individuals’ collective excitement (coupled with the relative anonymity of the Internet) can cloud their judgment, empathy, and personal convictions, all of which are fluid and still being formed during childhood and adolescence. Just as a child can think more quickly and creatively when collaborating with peers on a streaming logic game, the effects of playing a violent game (anxiety, desensitization, change in world view, aggression) can be amplified when players compete in their ability to kill others, encouraged by the praise of their peers, in the game’s virtual environment.

Allowing your son to play a game tacitly condones it or says that you ‘agree’ with the content and the way it affects him. Subsequently, make sure that you do agree with your son’s gaming, including his choice of game, how long he plays, where he plays, how he plays, and with whom he plays. If you choose to let him stream, have him do so in an area of your home where you can monitor his actions and his language (which, unchecked, can “go commando”). Also, set ground rules around streaming, such as letting him know not to use his real name, address, and other contact information in his profile, and to only video-communicate with those users he knows (try using a service that allows private streaming). Let him know that you’ll be supervising and asking questions about the other people with whom he is playing—and then do actually supervise his game play. Monitoring his gaming in this way will allow you continue to parent him even in the streaming digital domain, while reassuring him that you are there should he need you.

July 24, 2014

Q: While obesity is a critically important issue, I think there are other consequences of excessive screen time that are being overlooked—some parents might even think that there isn't a problem with their child's screen time if their child isn't overweight. As a parent of a slim boy who loves to spend many hours in front of screens—programming and such—I am very concerned about the developmental impact of limited physical activity. How can excessive screen time and limited physical activity affect brain processes (motion sickness, headaches, etc.), limb pain, posture, and other aspects of physical development (bones, muscles, coordination, vision)?

- Sitting Not-So-Pretty, USA

A: Dear Sitting,

You correctly identify some of the limitations in the conversation—and the research—on media and children’s physical health. The focus on childhood obesity is partly due to the fact that, in parallel with the exponential increase in electronic screens and children’s screen time, obesity rates have risen dramatically in America to the point where today nearly 1 out of every three children and teens is overweight. Because of the many physical and mental problems associated with childhood obesity, substantial funds are being made available to study it. But there’s not as much public concern and thus not as much funding available to support research into many other physical health issues that may be associated with excessive screen time.

That said, there is research showing that some kinds of media use can affect children’s physical health in several direct ways. For example, some children experience motion sickness while playing video games. Some report neck and shoulder pain associated with screen time activities or thumb or elbow inflammation with mobile device use. Because muscles and bones are strengthened with use, prolonged physically inactive screen time is has been associated with lower bone density and poorer muscle development in young children. Finally, staring at a screen (or at anything) for extended periods of time can result in eyestrain.

Programming is fun and a valuable tool for your son’s future, but what will help build a strong body and a smarter, more inquisitive and creative mind is a rich and diverse menu of experiences. To help make sure that media time improves and doesn’t detract from his health, help your son balance it with the other parts of his life. Provide him with a choice of fun and engaging physical, educational, and social activities. If he does not choose one or more, turning back to his screen, you may need, as a committed and connected parent of the Digital Age, to limit the amount of time he spends with media so he has time to engage in other activities, like daily physical exercise (outdoors if possible, to reap the calming and centering effects the natural world can provide) adequate uninterrupted sleep (make sure you charge his mobile phone overnight), dedicated time with family and friends (a sit-down meal with family and no screens is the single most protective measure for his physical and mental health), and time for free play.

CMCH created our database of media effects research, in order to collect and provide direct access to the scientific research available from many disciplines on the wide range of physical, mental and social health effects of media use. If you are concerned about other specific areas of your son’s health and its relationship to his media use, start with a search in the Database of Research (soon to be relaunched as Mediatrics™) and speak to his pediatrician.

June 16, 2014

Q: My six year old loves music, and I would like her to have something digital with which to listen to a variety of good music. I want her to have a certain level of independence as she explores her musical tastes, but I don’t want to get her something too advanced. My husband often lets her use his iPhone to search YouTube for a song she likes—then suggestions come up for others like it. I am not comfortable with trusting her musical exploration to marketing search engines, and I want to inspire her to just listen to good music. What do you advise?-Harmony Hunter

A: Dear Harmony,

Today’s technology offers great ways to allow your daughter a way to explore musical tastes in a controlled environment. There are a few different options, each of which has advantages and challenges:

MP3 players: If you’re concerned about the musical content to which she’s exposed, an MP3 player may be your best choice. You can preselect the songs, and you won’t need to worry about marketing or commercials. You’ll likely need to show her how to use the various controls as she needs them. The main challenge for her may be that MP3 players are text based, so how easy it is for her to use will depend in part on her reading skills. Even before she can read, however, she can enjoy a broad and eclectic variety of music on shuffle play.

Online streaming services: Services like Pandora will constantly update song lists based on your (or her) preferences. Such a service will expose her to a wider variety of music than you might be able to provide her, and at less expense. But you can’t be sure what songs will get through the filters, and if you use free services, there will likely be marketing and commercial content as well.

YouTube: YouTube covers an ever-expanding range of music types, including a children's version, and it’s “free”. But it is free of charge because it includes advertising, both on the site and embedded in many videos. YouTube also adds a visual element, which means she’ll see other people’s interpretations of songs. At times, that can be a lot of fun, but it may add images she's not ready for, and the visual component changes the creative interaction between child and music. By supplying images to go with the story, music videos can take away the opportunity for your daughter to use her own imagination. Each time she hears that music, she will recall someone else’s images rather than her own. If the goal is listen to music, then the video component can limit her own imaginative possibilities. Note, however, that many YouTube videos of songs contain a static image of the album cover or the lyrics, rather than actual video, so those videos may be good options for your child.

Deciding which to choose will depend on your priorities: If you want to control the content, an MP3 player is likely the best option. If you want her to be exposed to the most variety, then online streaming may be best. If you do use online streaming or YouTube, consider having an adult present while she uses those services to help filter and interpret content that may otherwise be upsetting or confusing.

June 05, 2014

Q: I teach for an online school that serves students in 4th through 12th grades. All of our lesson content is web-based, and the school would like to add three hours of synchronous lesson delivery four days a week. I believe that the school is trying to satisfy the parent desire for face-to-face contact between students and teachers—in this scenario, students can ask questions in real time and get their answers right away. Personally, I think that it is too much screen time for the students. All of the data I see indicates that screen-time does not count when it is for educational purposes, but that does not seem quite right to me. What are your thoughts on online education and how much time a student in an online school should spend using screens?- Skeptical about Screen Time, in Alberta, Canada

A: Dear Skeptical,

Screen time is a rapidly changing concept, and it can be difficult to define. People mostly agree that watching TV counts, but what about texting your friends? Video chatting with grandma? What about watching a zebras migrating across Africa on YouTube, or playing a game that helps you learn to recognize words? Do all of those activities constitute “screen time”? And if educational content does not count as screen time, how do we determine what is educational and what is not? Indeed, all media are educational in the sense that children learn from them, but are they learning what you want them to learn? There are important distinctions to make between using screens to achieve clear learning goals (as curriculum developers and educators do) and using media that are marketed as “educational” with no particular goals in mind.

Because screens surround us, from Diamond Vision at the stadium to flat screens at gas pumps and in elevators to the screened devices in our pockets, because we use different screens for different needs, and because the content they convey varies so widely, it may no longer be useful to treat screen time as a single entity. Instead of focusing on how many hours each day students are spending with screens, it may be most effective to focus on using those screens mindfully, as tools to accomplish goals that can be accomplished better with a screen than with any other tool.

Applying these principles to your situation, first clarify the educational goals your school is trying to achieve by adding these hours of synchronous learning and what parents are hoping their children will get from “face-to-face” contact. (Remember, video chatting or conferencing is more interactive than online lectures and can be quite valuable, depending on what you’re trying to achieve.) If parents are hoping that children will have more time socializing, perhaps brainstorm with the curriculum developers about providing parents with ways to integrate ‘real-world’ learning with the online curriculum.

Remember, children of all ages need a varied and diverse experience diet, so that they are optimizing their learning time, then moving on to something new and fresh to explore. There is no inherent problem with using screens for learning—but being mindful about why you’re using them is important, as well as paying attention to whether they are displacing activities, such as physical exercise or socialization, that are not as well served by the screen environment.

May 20, 2014

Welcome to May's Media Moment! This month, A. Crowley, a graduate student intern at CMCH, reflects on the important role media-free family dinners played in her life. These stories are meant to help create a village square of commiserating and co-celebrating the many ways media intersect with the lives of children. Please comment and even submit your own ‘Moment’ to share with your fellow readers.

Recently, my mum asked me if I remembered our round kitchen table where we would sit as a family for all of our meals. Of course I remembered; those times around the kitchen table are memorable to me for many reasons. Especially as a young teenager, these were some of the only times we were all together, what with much of our other time being taken up by extra-curricular activities as well as school. We would often chat about day-to-day things, like how school was, what mine and my brothers friends were like, and what they did for fun. I was very fortunate to have my grandfather live with my family since I was young, and he would often captivate the family with one of his stories, or my mum and dad would talk about their travels around the world in a boat! I believe this engagement during meal time made it more comfortable for both my brother and me to have more difficult conversations with our parents later on. For our family, everything was laid out on the table—so to speak.

On a recent trip to Los Angeles to visit a friend, I witnessed a family meal that was very different from the ones I remember. We were in quite a nice restaurant in a fancy part of town, seated outdoors at their street-side tables. The sun was shining and people were going about their day on the busy street of shops, restaurants, and businesses. A family came and sat at a table near us, closest to the street, with great views of the foot traffic, the hustle and bustle, and the many interesting sites that adorn that part of town. The family sat down and went about ordering their lunch. As the waiter took away the menus, the mother produced a smart phone from her handbag, which she passed to her daughter, who must have been about 12, and then pulled out a tablet, which she passed to her son, who looked about 10. The children booted up their respective devices with ease and began to watch and play.

The parents did not attempt to interact with their children; they too flitted between conversations on their own cell phones and checking emails, occasionally speaking to each other but never engaging the kids. Even when their food arrived, still silence! As my lunch companions and I talked endlessly about the things we were seeing and hearing in the busy street, I wondered why the parents did not take this opportunity to communicate with their children, talk about the things they were seeing, or answer questions the kids may have had—all great opportunities to find out what their kids know, what they want to know, and if what they do know is accurate.

I don’t know the situation of this family—perhaps the parents needed a break from a long and busy day, or had work to do that couldn’t wait. It appeared to me that they were using media simply to fill the time or occupy the kids, and I may well be wrong about that; still, it made me think about the dinners my family shared when I was a child, and I know that those dinners and the many conversations we shared couldn’t have happened if we had watched videos or played games the whole time we ate. Meal times can be such special times for families, a time when they can truly engage with each other in face-to-face conversations about the things that are important in their lives. It is a chance for parents to find out more about their kids, to hear any concerns or worries that their children might have about things they may have seen or heard but do not understand. I hope that, even in this media-saturated world, I can remember that and share it with the children in my life.

May 15, 2014

Q:My youngest daughter is friends with two girls whose mother has been reported missing. The circumstances don’t look very hopeful. I have a background in helping children cope with grief and loss (and teaching others who are helping children cope), but ​other than advising them to stay away from social media, newspapers, and internet (which may not be realistic), I don't know what else to suggest to the father of these girls. With the media being so pervasive and kids being online and on cell phones, short of a total unplugging, I am stumped. Sadly, the girls’ classmates have been listening to the news and stating to her face, "Your mom might be dead." So you can't even keep other children from saying things that make the situation worse.-Uncertain How to Help, in CA

A: Dear Uncertain,

This situation sounds frightening and painful for these girls and their father. In addition to the fear, grief, and confusion that they must feel, there is also uncertainty about what has happened and what may happen, and those feelings are only exacerbated by sensationalized media coverage. Here are a few ideas of how to offer support to these girls and their father, or to anyone seeking to relate to tragedy in the news:

First, recommend therapy to help find ways to cope. Whether through talk, play, or art, therapy can help children and adults process uncertainty and tragedy, both individually and as a family. The girls need to be heard more than they need adults to talk at them, so help their father find a place where they can make space for their feelings and work them through.

Turn off the news. In this type of crisis situation, news reporting is often skewed, highlighting the scariest and most dramatic parts of the story. Encourage the father and the girls to unplug from the news and listen only to what facts are being told to them by the authorities. Advise the dad to keep talking about the situation with his girls, and to regularly check in with them about how they are feeling. He is their only parent in this situation and will need to step into the role their mother filled, at least in the short term.

Identify a safe place or person for the girls to go to when they feel upset, especially when other kids say things that upset them. Second-hand recountings of the news by other children can be just as harmful as seeing the news themselves. If the school hasn’t already created a plan for managing this situation, both for the two girls directly affected and for their classmates, call them and recommend that they talk with the girls’ friends and classmates, sensitizing them and eliciting their empathy. Depending on the age of the children and how much they understand of what they see in the news, comments like “Your mom might be dead” may be coming from a place of great vulnerability, as they imagine losing their own mothers. Especially for older children, one strategy might be to use that emotion to connect with, support, and share their classmates’ pain, similar to how they might pull together if a classmate got leukemia. Teachers, coaches, administrators and any adult with whom they interact need to be aware of their situation and prepared to address their fears and trauma. These resources may also be of help:

Finally, recommend an activity that can help them work through their feelings, get away from screens and gossip, and find a safe place: Suggest that dad, or anyone whom they know and trust, take them for a walk in the natural world and let them know he loves them. Nature calms and heals. Let nature, as well as those who love them, connect with and embrace them.

April 04, 2014

I would like to share with you an editorial that I had the opportunity to author for JAMA-Pediatrics this week. I focus on the questions we face about our children’s use of media, which continue to be confusing, sometimes overwhelming, and often leave parents feeling guilty about their choices rather than with the information they need to make informed decisions. In this piece, I propose to shift the debate away from what we think is right and wrong to how the scientific research shows we are changed by the media we use and how we use them.

Balance the message – used in focused and mindful ways, media can be positive for children’s health and development as part of a rich and diverse menu if experience, used mindlessly, it can have negative effects on physical, mental and social health

How media affect children’s health varies with which media are used, how they’re used, and with whom they’re used

What advice or information have you, as a parent or caregiver, found helpful when making decisions about how to handle media in raising your children? How do you make decisions about when and how to use which media and when not to? Join me in this conversation on our Facebook page and through Twitter. I hope to see you there!

March 28, 2014

Q: At what age is it developmentally ok for kids to see The Lego Movie and even Star Wars with their parents? Is the subliminal (and hidden) marketing in movies unethical, especially given how well it's made?

~Lamenting over Lego, USA

A: Dear Lamenting,

Marketing consumer products through TV and movies has been occurring since these technologies became mass media. (What better way to reach the masses?) Toy merchandising based on movies exploded with the Star Wars franchise and has continued steadily since then. The Lego Movie brings this type of interconnected marketing to the forefront in hopes of attracting viewers (both old and young) who are already fans of the brand. In this way the advertising is not meant to be hidden.

Because audiences have become more savvy about spotting product placement, where producers are paid by a company to use only their products on screen and to place them so the audience can always see the label, media are now integrating brands into story, or making the story about the product, as in the case of The Lego Movie.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take your child to see The Lego Movie or another entertainment that markets product. What it does mean is that you should assume that marketing, product placement, and brand integration are going to occur in many, if not all, of the entertainment products that you and your children consume.

Subsequently, one of the best things you can do for you children is to teach them to recognize advertising and brand integration when it occurs and to identify the transactions that are taking place. Give them the tools to recognize and think critically about what marketers are trying to sell. This will give kids a sense of empowerment and help them avoid being sucked in by advertising, not just in movies, but virtually all of the commercial media they consume.

March 14, 2014

Q: My wife and I have twin 6-year-old boys and a 4-year-old boy. Many of the strategies I’ve seen about responsible screen use, digital media, TV, etc. seem herculean for a family like ours. My wife will use commercial-free videos so she can take a break to cook, as well as online videos of volcanoes, jet fighters, etc. to engage the boys. I buy DVDs in German, as we are a multi-lingual household, and I’m trying to teach and maintain German, despite my being away often due to my schedule. My question is, how can my wife and I make sure that we are only using screens meaningfully when we have multiple children at different developmental stages?

-Managing Multiples, in Philadelphia, PA

A: Dear Managing,

Your question addresses an issue many parents face, namely, how can we manage screen media use so that each of our children’s developmental needs are met, despite being at different developmental stages?

To help you tackle these issues, first look at their 24-hour day and assign time for the essentials such as sleep, meals, family time, school, and physical activity to help you figure out what time is left to potentially engage in screen media. Then, in the times when media are a good option, choose media with a goal in mind, instead of simply as an ‘electronic babysitter’ or what was once called the ‘plug-in drug’. It sounds as though you and your wife are already doing this by choosing media that will help teach your children a second language (or about something of interest , like volcanoes and jet fighters). Because you are designing their schedules with them, you may be able to plan when media content can be viewed by all ages, as in learning German, and times when content for the older and younger kids can be viewed separately, because the others are involved in different activities.

Know that a screen is going to be very seductive for anyone in the same space, so use your available technology - DVR shows to be viewed at convenient times and, if a child is viewing while another is reading, have him use a tablet or other portable screen with headphones in his own space, even a corner of the room. Be conscious of the attention and focus of each of the children when they are in the same space doing different things.

When you are using entertainment media with all of the kids, make it a shared family experience, enjoying it with them and optimizing the benefits while reducing the risks for each child. Approach their screen media as part of their cultural learning. Watching classic movies is as important as reading great literature or listening to classical music. I started my own sons on Charlie Chaplin silent films when they were younger than yours and they still think they are hilarious (no children do not need either color or synchronized sound to be thoroughly entertained). Science based shows such as ‘Mythbusters’ and those featured on Animal Planet, which combine science and spectacle can both engage and educate everyone in the family.

February 20, 2014

2014 marks the beginning of CMCH chronicling monthly ‘Media Moments’. These posts will be about real-life experiences (the good, the bad and even the funny) involving media and child health. These stories are meant to help create a village square of commiserating and co-celebrating the many ways media intersect with the lives of children. Please comment and even submit your own ‘Moment’ to share with your fellow readers.

Recently, I had the good fortune of getting to live with some long-time family friends who have a 6-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. The other night, I was home alone, cooking a delicious dinner—steak,sautéed onions and mushrooms, and a baked potato—when the mom and kids came home and rushed right to the TV to turn on WildKratts. Mom came to the kitchen and put several sushi rolls on two plates and set them down at the kids’ miniature table. She then went to the living room to collect the kids for dinner.

That’s when the kids started protesting loudly, screaming that it was a new episode that they hadn’t seen and that she couldn’t stop it. To appease her screaming children, Mom ran into the kitchen and turned the WildKratz episode on the 6-year-old’s Kindle Fire. She set it up on the kids’ dinner table, in between the two side-by-side plates of sushi, and shouted for the kids to come, promising that it was the same episode and that it was playing from the exact moment where they were in the other room, thanks to HuluPlus.

The kids sat down at their miniature table with their sushi and their WildKratts episode, and mom promptly left the kitchen to go to her computer in the living room. Both kids had their entire focus on the show, hardly touched their food, and were barely responsive to my probing questions about their day.

When I finished cooking my dinner, I asked the kids if they would mind turning the show off so I could join them for dinner at their small table. The 6-year-old said no, and when I asked again, she asked me why I couldn’t sit at the table with them while they kept watching. I told her there wasn’t enough room for both the Kindle and me, and that I wanted to be able to talk to them. After a few more moments of protest, Mom shouted from the other room that they were not being nice and for them to turn it off and have dinner with me. This didn’t work, so Mom came into the kitchen to turn it off. She was met with loud protests until the Kindle was out of sight.

After a brief moment of protest from the kids regarding their show, I put my plate on the table where the Kindle had been and sat down on the floor. Immediately the kids started asking me what I was eating, and they helped themselves to a bite of my baked potato and steak. The kids began describing what my food tasted like to them, and what types of seasoning they liked on their food. Very quickly the conversation changed to talking about their favorite kinds of sushi and what ingredients were in each type.

Once the Kindle was removed as the centerpiece of the dinner table, the shift from absorbed TV viewers to animated and engaged conversationalists was almost instantaneous. And after dinner was over, instead of returning to the TV, they went straight to their playroom, choosing to play with their physical toys and each other until bedtime.